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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. can — a tin
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. band — a ring
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rash — a series
  17. content — happy
  18. saw — the tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. date — the fruit
  21. band — a music group
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. saw — the tool
  24. can — to be able to

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com